Time does not heal all wounds
by mona-rose
Summary: Olivia was a regular Amity girl when one day she was assaulted by Eric and left with life altering circumstances, a child. When Eric comes into her life again, will she accept him as her child's father or avoid him at all costs? How will Eric fare in a completely different faction than his own? AU. No War
1. prologue

**Hi guys, this chapter has a graphic scene, so if you do not want to read about rape then maybe skip this page... I hope it's not too graphic, tried to keep it in rating guidelines.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything Divergent and Olivia is mine.**

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><p>Olivia's father was deathly ill, so much that the Amity doctors had him transferred to the Erudite hospital within the city for better treatment. She was on her way to visit him early that morning because she wanted to be there as soon as visiting hours started. There was another hour before the sky turned into a colourful painting as the sun woke up and she didn't feel safe walking in the dark so Olivia was hoping to take the train while no one else was on it. It was a long ride away even on the train, one that would take that hour to get there.<p>

Technically anyone was allowed to use the train, it just so happened that no one did other than the Dauntless faction because the train never stopped. People were either afraid or too out of shape to get on, but Olivia was going to try. The Amity life kept her in good shape, maybe not Dauntless shape, but good enough that she could catch up to the train and pull herself on. Relieved that she made it, she relaxed by sitting on the floor and rested her head against the rattling wall.

She was half way there when she heard more footsteps running alongside the train and male voices egging each other. Worried that they might get mad that she was on the train she hugged her knees and hoped they caught a different car.

She had no such luck as one guy pulled himself up. He was about her age, she guessed, with short blond hair and blue eyes. He was very good looking, even with the two piercings above his right eye and the maze like tattoos on both his arms that peaked out from his rolled up sleeves.

His gaze caught her and he stiffened slightly, like he wasn't expecting anyone else on. Two more guys the same age hopped on one after the other and saw her too.

"Hey, look what we have here! An Amity girl all alone on the Dauntless train where she doesn't belong." The shortest one of them said. His brown eyes took her in and she immediately got a bad feeling. The third guy gave her an air kiss and said, "Should we punish her Eric? She looks like a bad girl who needs a good spanking."

Her stomach turned at his words directed at the first guy who got on. She looked at Eric, pleading with her eyes for him not to do whatever they were thinking of doing.

She knew she was pretty, her auburn hair had natural soft curls to her mid back and her tanned skin made her green eyes stand out, but that didn't give them the right to assault her.

The third man grabbed her arm and hauled her up. She squeaked in fear and he laughed in her face. His breath smelt of alcohol and his blue eyes raked over her just like the second guy's did. The fact that they all were good looking did nothing to quell the disgust she felt towards them.

"Ralph, let her go man. She's not worth punishing." Eric said indifferent to her situation. "Of course she is! She's on Dauntless territory and if you want to be leader then you better toughen up and protect what is ours!" Ralph said but when Eric didn't reply he continued, "If you don't do it then John here will and we'll tell everyone what a coward you are. You'll never make leader then."

Anger flashed across Eric's eyes and he marched over to John, who still held her arm and motioned for him to get lost. Her heart rammed against her ribcage as John let go and joined his friend across the compartment. Eric towered over her, her head reached his collar bone so he leaned down to look at her.

His mouth was set in a grim line when he pushed her up against the wall and lifted her up. Olivia screamed and thrashed, trying to get away but he was too strong. He maneuvered himself between her kicking legs and lifted her skirt above her waist one handed. She continued to scream, praying someone would hear and rescue her, until something large forced its' way into her.

Her scream caught in her throat at the pain and all she could do thereafter was sob as he held both her hands against the wall on either side of her head and continued to ram into her fiercely. As he got nearer to finishing, he had his face against her neck as he grunted in climax. His heavy breathing was hot against her skin while he gathered himself before letting her fall to the floor.

Zipping up his pants, his friends cheered and clapped him on the back in congratulations. "Now that's what it takes to be a Dauntless leader! And just in time too, here comes our stop." Ralph said happily. The other two jumped out without a backwards glance at her and Eric made his way to the door slowly. He looked at her briefly, giving nothing away on how he felt and he jumped too.

She stayed on the train sobbing until it made its' way back to the gate by Amity, her father completely forgotten. She was sore between the legs and blood stained her skirt but she managed to hop of the train and made her way home.

Her mother was surprised to see her home so soon and quickly became frightened at how dishevelled her daughter looked. "What happened Olivia?!" She rushed over and helped her to sit down in a chair at the kitchen table. Through her tears she said, "I took the train to see dad, but I never made it because three guys got on and they…. They… raped me." She broke down and cried harder into her mother's shoulder.

Linda held her daughter tightly and let her cry, rocking back and forth, whispering softly to her. When Olivia began to calm down, she asked, "Were they Dauntless?" Olivia nodded her head. "Did all three of them hurt you?" She probed. "No, two of them told the other guy to do it." She replied numbly. "Did you catch their names?" Olivia hesitated. What if nothing happened to them if she told? Would it come back to haunt her? Would they? She didn't want to look over her shoulder for the rest of her life so she lied and shook her head.

"Oh, my poor baby. We'll get through this, you'll be alright." Linda said sadly and hugged her again. Olivia felt numb, her tears were spent and she was tired. So her mother helped her to her bed and she fell asleep.

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><p>Olivia stared at her reflection in the mirror. Two weeks had gone by since the incident and Olivia was coping as best she could, but the last few days she began to feel sick. Worried, her mother took her to see the Amity doctor where she found out she was pregnant.<p>

Her eyes looked haunted and her skin was pale compared to her usual glow. She couldn't believe this was going to be her life now. Her first time was forced upon her by some asshole and now she was going to be a single mother at the age of 18. As tough as it might become, she was glad for her community. Amity showed kindness to everyone no matter what and she hated the thought of being in another faction in her condition where she would probably be ridiculed for it. Amity would help her raise her child in a place where it wouldn't matter who his/her father was and they would never find out the ugly truth of their conception. She promised herself that Eric would never know about his child if she could help it, he didn't deserve to be a father. And she would live her life, happy and full. This would not turn her into a victim.

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><p><strong>Hey, I hope you guys liked it. Let me know what you think!<strong>


	2. Chapter 1

**Hi, so I'm doing something different from the usual initiation/Dauntless storyline and I'm not sure how it's gonna turn out but I hope you guys like it.**

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><p>8 years later….<p>

It was a warm summer day with a slight breeze and the sun shone brightly down on Olivia and her son Connor as they picked strawberries from the bush and put them into baskets.

He was eight years old this year and he looked more and more like his father, blond hair and blue eyes with the promise of broad shoulders that would come with puberty. Except his curls came from her, she supposed.

She was twenty-six years old now and though she looked exactly the same, she felt much older. Raising a child did that to you. Their life in Amity was a blessed one. Her father had died not long after Connor was born so her mother lived with them at the cottage and helped her out with her son.

Many of their neighbours often helped them out with whatever they needed and did not judge. They liked the rambunctious boy who ran and laughed, climbing trees and worked hard in the field on the weekends. His grades were good in school too. Though Olivia never left Amity in fear of meeting those men again, she did allow Connor to go to school with the rest of the children.

She still was not married, but she was happy to say that she did have an admirer in the form of Jacob Willemsen. He was a transfer from Abnegation the same year she chose to stay in Amity. He was a quiet man, most of the time he stayed to himself which is why it was only a year ago that he finally started showing signs of attraction towards her. She liked him well enough, he would make a good father and they got along. She hoped soon he would grow the courage to actually ask her out.

The sounds of a vehicle arriving at the compound drew her attention away from watching Connor stuff a strawberry into his mouth rather than the basket and stood up to see who it was. She had seen vehicles like this one before over the years but they were too far away for her to recognize the people who got out. There were three of them, wearing black, and they marched into the main building.

Her stomach dropped because she knew they were Dauntless and even though she hadn't seen Eric again, she worried that one day she would. Most of the time they came and went not long after seeing Joanna for whatever reason and she hoped today would be the same.

The sun began to lower a few hours later and they stopped their picking for the night, dumping the fruit they had picked into the container at the edge of the field for someone to clean tomorrow morning.

Tonight they ate in the cafeteria instead of their home because they were informed that a meeting would be held right after dinner. The three of them took seats at the very back of the brightly lit room and Olivia ate in silence while her mother and son chatted.

Olivia noticed as they came into the building that the Dauntless' car was still parked outside, but she couldn't see anyone in black sitting down for dinner in the cafeteria. She wondered what the meeting could be about as she absentmindedly ate her food.

The clock struck eight o'clock and everyone was asked to join Joanna in the main meeting room. Olivia and her family got up to leave but Connor stopped them. "I need to use the washroom, mom." Olivia caressed his head and said, "Ok. Grandma and I will get seats by the pillar, you can meet us there when you're done but don't take too long." Connor nodded his head and ran off in the opposite direction of the meeting room.

She and Linda sat down in the spot they told Connor they would and waited as more people came in and sat down. Joanna stood at the front with a Dauntless man Olivia didn't recognize, not that she knew many of them anyway, but he looked important.

People were still filing into the large room five minutes later and Olivia wondered where her son was so she looked toward the entrance and her heart stopped. Standing a few feet away from the door stood Eric and in the corner of her eye she spotted Connor bounding through the doors and cringed as he bumped into his father.

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><p>Eric felt someone small crash into him and he caught the boy before he fell backwards. He guessed the kid was probably seven or eight and reminded him a lot of himself when he was young. "Sorry, sir! I gotta find my mom… Oh there she is." He said and pointed towards someone in the crowd. Eric followed his gaze and found a familiar woman urgently waving for the kid to go to her. He watched the boy leave and realized where he had seen her from.<p>

He silently cursed himself. Of course she would be here. She must have recognized him because she was frantic about getting the kid away from him. Eric froze. She had a kid and he was around the right age. No, it couldn't possibly be true. He didn't have children. Could he?

As the meeting started, Eric couldn't pay attention to a single word of it. His mind raced with thoughts of that night and what it would mean if he had a son he didn't know about. The meeting wasn't that important anyway, but Amity all had to agree on something to make a decision so here they were waiting for them to decide whether or not the Dauntless could lessen the amount of guards around the city. It meant there would be less protection if something happened, but nothing had happened in over a century and the Dauntless were getting restless. They hoped to have fewer guards on the outside and more on the inside to help keep the peace instead.

As Max explained the decision on Dauntless' behave, Eric's eyes wandered back over to the Amity girl and her son. He could tell she was fighting to not look over at him and paid attention to what Max was saying instead. He wasn't sure if she knew that he recognized her or not but the kid obviously didn't know about him.

As usual the meeting came to an end after much deliberation amongst the Amity community and they agreed to have the fewer guards. Satisfied that they got what they wanted, Max and Sandra began to leave but Eric caught them by the door.

"Mind if I take a few more minutes? I need to speak with someone before we go." He asked them. "Sure, we'll wait in the car." Max answered and they left him waiting outside the door.

As soon as he saw her step out the door, he matched strides with her. "I need to talk to you," He startled her but she kept her gaze forward. "I have nothing to say to you." "But I have something to say to you." He said. The boy and the older woman with her gave them curious looks.

Olivia abruptly stopped. "Like what?" Eric looked at the other two and said, "Can we go somewhere private?" "I am not going anywhere private with _you_." She said indignantly. Eric sighed and clenched his jaw. He did not want to do this in front of others. "I promise nothing will happen. Please?"

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><p>Against her better judgement she wanted to know what he had to say so she asked her mother to take Connor home and told Eric to follow her outside. She took him to the greenhouse where no one would overhear their conversation and she could get a weapon if she needed it.<p>

"What is it? Came to gloat that you got what you wanted by raping me? I'm assuming you're a leader now since you're here." She said with bitterness. Eric did not look happy at her outburst. "I did not get leader because of that. I worked hard and earned it, but I was young and stupid, and we had been drinking. I regret ever touching you because I was afraid they would call me a coward. But they were right I was a coward because I didn't stand up for you."

"Oh, so now I'm supposed to forgive you because you made a heartfelt speech about being sorry? I don't think so. Actions speak more than words." "Look, I wanted to say I'm sorry and I did, but I also wanted to know if your son is mine too."

Olivia was stunned. "What makes you think you have a right to ask that?" "I probably don't but I need to know." Olivia grew angry. "_If_ he was your son, you most certainly are _not_ his father. You were not the one to stay up with him all night when he was sick, you did not teach him to walk or throw a ball. I did that. We're done and I don't want you anywhere near Connor." She brushed passed him and stormed out of the greenhouse. She didn't even care to bother to see if Eric followed her or not.


	3. Chapter 2

Olivia stalked home, seething with anger. When she got there, Connor was already in bed and her mother sat at the table, waiting for her. "Who was that man, and what did he want?" Linda asked concerned as she watched Olivia pace. "That," She pointed towards the door. "Was Connor's father." What they both didn't realize was that Connor was curious too, and had peeked around the corner to hear their conversation.

Linda frowned, "I suppose he knows about Connor now." Olivia nodded in acknowledgement. "Does he want to be in his life?" "I have no idea. I told him to leave us alone and stormed out of there as soon as he found out." She replied, exhausted with today's turn of events.

"You should report him, Olivia. Now that you know who he is, we can get proof that he's Connor's father and he can pay for what he did." Lind urged. "No. I don't want to involve him in our lives any more than he already is, which thankfully, is not that much."

"But Joanna could help us figure this out. You need the closure." "Mom, I said no, and that's final. I'm going to bed." She left the cozy living/dining room and turned the corner where the three bedrooms were and went into the farthest one.

The next morning, Olivia and her mom were making breakfast when Connor made an appearance. "Good morning sweetheart. Breakfast is almost done if you want to sit down." She said to him. "I'm going to skip breakfast today, mom." He said. She gave him a confused look. "Why?" "I promised Ned that I would meet him before going to school, maybe they will have some food left over if I get there fast."

Olivia contemplated it for a second and then nodded. "Sure, you can go. Have a good day and I'll see you when you get home, ok?" "Thanks, bye mom, bye grandma!" He grabbed his books and ran out the door. Linda shook her head at his silliness and they sat down to eat.

An hour later there was a knock at the door. Not expecting visitors, Olivia answered the door. It was her neighbour Carl. "Good morning, Olivia, Linda." He said, nodding his head at each of them in greeting. "Good morning, Carl. What can I do for you?" She asked him. "Joanna is requesting your presence in her office. Connor's with her." "Connor? Did something happen?" She was instantly worried. "Not sure, Joanna just asked me to get you." "Ok, thanks Carl." She thanked him. "Mom, I'm just going to see Joanna for a second." She called into the house and closed the door behind her.

Olivia walked as fast as she could to the main building and found Connor slumped in a chair, pouting, in front of Joanna's desk. She rushed over and crouched in front of him. "What happened? Why aren't you at school?"

"He skipped so he could talk to me." Joanna said from behind her desk. "Please, take a seat." She motioned for Olivia to take the other chair. Olivia did and looked at each of them expectantly.

"Connor, can you give us a moment please?" Joanna asked him, he took the chance to not get yelled at and ran out. She continued once he left, "Connor wanted to ask me if I could help him see his father. When I said I didn't know who he is, he told me that last night you said it was the blond Dauntless man you talked to. I'm assuming he's talking about Eric. Is this true? Did Eric rape you?" Joanna asked concerned.

Olivia cringed at the question, this was not what she needed right now. But it was already set in motion so she replied, "Yes, he did." "And what did he have to say last night?" "He apologized, and asked if Connor was his." "Well, we'll need proof that he is the father so I am officially accusing him of rape and require he submit DNA for a paternity test. If Dauntless feels he is guilty of this crime, I am also going to suggest he be sent back to us for sentencing." Olivia nodded in agreement, though inside she prayed they didn't send him back.

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><p>Eric walked into Max's office as soon as he heard that the man wanted to see him. Max was hunched over a piece of paper with a hand caressing his forehead. He looked up when Eric entered and asked him to sit.<p>

Max analyzed him and frowned, Eric wondered what this could be about. "I have a document from Joanna here that states you have been formally charged with raping a girl from Amity eight years ago and a child has been produced from the assault. I want to hear from you if this is true or not."

Eric went on the defensive. "What proof do they have that it's true?" "Well, they want your DNA to conduct a paternity test for the child, for one. If it comes back positive, that weighs pretty heavily against you. And two, they've named two witnesses on her behalf, your friends Ralph and John."

"Well, good luck getting Ralph to talk since he died jumping into the chasm three years ago and go ahead and ask John, he'll tell you it's not true." Eric said, Max scowled even more. "I already did and he told me otherwise. For a lighter sentence, he confessed to being on the train that night and that he and Ralph told you to do it. He'll be doing janitorial duties from now on and you're out, Eric."

"You can't do that to me! I'm a leader!" Eric was outraged. "Yes, I can. With his witness testimony and the possible DNA test, we have more than enough to convict you." Max replied. "Factionless just because of a little crime done eight years ago?" "It doesn't matter when it happened. The people of this city rely on us to enforce the law and how can they trust us to do our jobs if we don't follow the law ourselves? Someone will escort you to Amity, apparently they want to do the sentencing, which is fine by me. Good luck, Eric."

A guard, Eric hadn't notice before, cuffed his hands behind his back and ushered him to the car waiting outside the Dauntless headquarters.


	4. Chapter 3

An hour after his meeting with Max, Eric was escorted into Joanna's office and sat down into the chair beside Olivia. _Great_, he thought, _now she was going to rub her revenge in his face_.

Joanna turned to him. "Hello, Eric. I can't say I'm happy to see you, under the circumstances, but here we are. I believe you know why you're here." She said.

Eric gestured to the girl beside him, "Because she couldn't keep her mouth shut."

Olivia gaped at him. "It was your own fault, you asshole! If you hadn't bothered me yesterday then none of this would be happening."

"Oh and how's that?" He asked disbelieving.

"When I got home my mother was suspicious as to why a Dauntless leader wanted to talk to me and when I told her who you were, Connor over heard and he came to Joanna asking if she would help him see you, because he knew I wouldn't. Joanna, suspecting that you are his father, assumed that you were the one who raped me. I couldn't deny it when she asked me." Olivia answered.

Eric was angry, but hearing the kid wanted to see him lessened his anger. What was he going to do? He couldn't deny it happened now. They already had enough evidence to screw him so he might as well confess. What else could they do to him anyway? HHHe was already doomed to be factionless.

"Fine, I admit it. I attacked her that night on the train because my friends wanted me to, I regret it but it happened, and I'm even sorrier for getting a kid involved in all this." He said, resigned to his fate. Beside him Olivia looked surprised and Joanna pursed her lips in thought.

"Alright, give us a sample of your DNA so we can confirm Connor's parentage and we can move onto the sentencing." Joanna said and gestured for someone to come over and swab the inside of Eric's cheek.

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><p>Late that afternoon, Olivia sat in the audience of the large, paneled room with the rest of the adults of the Amity community. Eric was standing against the wall behind Joanna as she addressed the people gathered around her.<p>

"Many of you may remember the day that Olivia Spence came home after being attacked on the train eight years ago, an event that left her with a son, and no idea as to whom the father is. We couldn't bring him to justice back then but today he has surfaced and confessed to the crime."

She gestured to the man behind her. "Eric's DNA has come back as a positive match with Connor's. His position as leader with the Dauntless has been revoked and his membership terminated, but because he assaulted a member of our community, we have the privilege to punish him."

Murmurs as people discussed this surprising news was hushed by Joanna, "Let me make a suggestion before we come to a conclusion." When they quieted down she continued, "As you know the best thing for a child is to have both parents raise them and Connor has never known his father, but he shows great interest in getting the chance to. I propose that we allow Eric to stay here in Amity, as a guest, so he could help Olivia raise their son."

Quiet protests began as people did not like the idea, but Joanna held her hands up to silence them again. "Let me finish, please. I do not suggest that we let him off Scott free and roam around the community. If we all agree to what I recommend then I guarantee he will be with someone at all times and he will work to earn his place here among us. There are many jobs that many of us wish we did not have to do, like shoveling out the animal's stalls or carrying large items around the compound. Eric is strong; we could use him for our own purposes."

"But he's a rapist. What if he does it again?" A man by the name of Ben stood up in the middle of the room.

"I believe Eric is remorseful of his actions and would not commit them again, but I do urge everyone to remain diligent and not let their daughters be alone around him. As I said, he will be escorted everywhere he goes, to work, to the bathroom, any of the Amity buildings and at home." Joanna reassured the angry crowd.

"Where will he live?" Ben asked again, still standing.

"Olivia has agreed to allow him to stay with her and her family as long as he follows the rules. We are a faction about peace, kindness and forgiveness. If his accuser can forgive him, then the rest of us should try too."

Olivia clenched her jaw as the people around her turn to look at her in astonishment. She did not want to be viewed as a victim and forgiving Eric would show that she wasn't. Of course she didn't like it, but it would be good for Connor to have his father around, before he ran away to find him, whether it be in Dauntless or with the Factionless.

The crowd began their quiet discussions and it took a full two hours for everyone to agree on a decision, but in the end they chose to grant Eric permission to stay in Amity. Then the plates of peace bread began to be passed around as people took a piece and chewed to calm their frayed emotions.

Olivia passed the plate to her neighbour without taking a piece and rose with the others to join Eric and Joanna. She was to escort him home with her. When she reached them, Joanna hugged her.

"I'm sorry for what has happened to you and the journey that now lies ahead of you, but you are brave and kind for doing this and I thank you." Joanna whispered into her ear during their embrace.

When they broke apart, they gave each other a small smile, and a nod as farewell, and Eric followed her home.

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><p>Eric was surprised at the outcome of his trial and he contemplated what life would be like with the Amity as he walked behind Olivia towards his new home.<p>

He would be thrown into the role of a father with no preparation and the job of a farmer. He had no idea how to do either, and it frightened him, though he didn't show it.

The house she brought him too was a quaint cottage type dwelling, made entirely of unpainted wood and no decoration on the outside, save the potted flower beds along the windowsills.

The inside was similar to the outside, unpainted wood walls and flooring, the windows had simple white curtains and a large fireplace stood against a far wall in the living room, giving off heat in the cooling evening air. All the furniture was a polished wood that gleamed in the firelight, except for the couch. It was a plush, floral print that would only fit two people on it at a time as it faced the fireplace.

The dining table was directly behind the couch with little space in between. It had four chairs around the rectangle table, and the kitchen was just behind that, allowing a good view of the whole room while you cooked.

To someone as big as Eric, it felt small and cramped, but he supposed to them it was cozy. The firelight gave the room a golden glow that bounced shadows off of everything, including the two people who stood in the hallway, staring at them.

"What's this, Olivia?" The woman asked her, gesturing toward him. _She must have stayed home with the boy during the meeting_, Eric thought.

"He's living with us now, mom. Everyone agreed that his punishment should be to stay here and raise Connor and work in the fields." Olivia replied, unhappily.

"Really?! I get to have a dad now?!" The boy bounced underneath the hands that rested on his shoulders, unaware of his mother's displeasure.

"Yes… Connor, this is Eric, you're father. Eric, this is Connor." She introduced them.

The boy ran over and hugged him around the hips, his head rested against his stomach. Eric slowly hugged the boy back, unsure if he should, but neither woman stopped him.

When Connor let him go, Olivia suggested he get the extra blanket and pillow out of the closet for him. As soon as he was gone, she rounded on Eric.

"Listen up. This is how it's going to work. You sleep on the couch, we eat breakfast in the morning and we take you to work. We bring you home, we eat dinner and you go to bed. There will be no socializing outside of this house. As for Connor, he wants to get to know you so I encourage you to act like a father towards him, but don't you dare think you are worthy to be his dad." She said to him sternly.

Eric was going to retort how he didn't want to be there anymore than she wanted him but at that moment Connor came back in and put the blanket and pillow on the top of the couch. Olivia gave him a look and left him standing there to join her mother in the kitchen. As they began to make dinner, Eric sat down on the couch and Connor followed him. The boy looked up at him with excitement.

"What's it like in Dauntless?" He asked.

Eric had no experience with kids, as he was the youngest son of three in his family and he transferred to Dauntless before his older brothers could give him nieces or nephews. He knew from the glare that was sent his way that Dauntless was a topic left undiscussed in his new home, and not wanting to make his day any worse, he decided to change the subject.

"How about I get to know you instead?" He was surprised by the large grin this brought upon the kid's face.

"Okay! My favorite colour is red, I love apples, but I hate green beans, and I like to read. Climbing trees if my favorite hobby, and my best friends are Ned, and Michael."

Eric listened quietly and only half interested in the rest of Connor's list of likes and dislikes until dinner was ready. Connor rushed over to the table and pulled out a chair for Eric to sit in next to him, as his grandmother sat across from Eric and Olivia beside her.

The food was passed around silently and Eric piled as much onto his plate as possible. It took him a moment to realize that all the dishes were empty by the time he was done and everyone stared at him in wonderment.

"We're not used to having such a large man eat with us, we'll have to remember to make more next time." Linda said.

Eric felt guilty, which was new for him. If he was back in Dauntless, he would tell them to suck it up, but he wasn't and Amity manners were a mystery to him. Yelling or being rude to these people would not help his cause, so he kept his mouth shut and ate his dinner.

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><p>Olivia watched Eric out of the corner of her eye as they ate. His broad frame took up most of the space on his side of the table and she was glad he sat next to Connor. She didn't think she could bear to be that close to him right then.<p>

The resemblance between them was startling to see it so close up. Other than the tattoos, which she only now noticed the new segmented bars running down his neck, she knew that when Connor grew up, he would almost be an identical twin to his father. Anger burned inside her at the thought that her son could grow up to be like Eric, but she held it in at the sight of how happy Connor was.

When everyone was finished eating, Linda collected the dishes so Olivia could read Connor a book before he went to bed, as was their nightly ritual. She sat down in the rocking chair next to the fireplace and waited for Connor to choose his book and climb into her lap.

Eric sat back down on the couch and stared into the fire, deep in thought. She didn't know if he usually was this quiet or not, and then realized she didn't actually know anything about him personally. Was he a mean person on a daily basis? Was he really nice and just chose to do a bad thing because he was drunk? No, she refused to think he had a nice bone in his body. A good man wouldn't do what he did to her for any reason.

Connor shoving the book into her hands brought her out of her thoughts and she allowed him to sit on her lap and relax against her. She rested her chin on his soft blond hair as she read the book to him in soft hushed tones until he fell asleep. Then she cradled him in her arms and eased her way out of the chair and took him to bed.

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><p>Eric watched the mother and son cuddle up with the book and wished he was back in Dauntless. Was this what he was supposed to do from now on? Sit around and play happy day after day? He already missed the freedom to go to the gym and punch a bag around until he worked out his anger, but here they didn't have gyms, he wasn't even allowed outside on his own. The thought of bottling up his anger tormented him.<p>

He must have been too busy with his thoughts because he didn't notice Olivia getting up to put Connor to bed or Linda leaving too, until Olivia came back and stood before him with her hands on her hips.

He looked up at her and said, "What?"

Olivia rolled her eyes. "I bet you didn't hear a single thing I said. We're heading to bed, you might want to too. Breakfast is ready at 6 am, Connor leaves for school and we go to work at 7 am. If you want to shower before breakfast, the bathroom is the first door on the right and there are towels hanging up. And don't even think about coming into my room at night, I've got a lock." She said and walked off.

Eric watched her go with a glare. "Like I would want to sleep with you again." He mumbled to himself. He grabbed the pillow from the top of the couch roughly, and fluffed it before resting it against the arm rest. He laid back and pulled the blanket over him. Half of his legs hung over the other arm rest, so he turned onto his side and curled up.

Eric growled. This had to be a nightmare. There was no way he would be able to sleep on that couch, so he stood up and took everything with him on the floor. At least the plain brown rug beneath him gave him some relief from the hard floor.

He spent a good amount of time that night missing his nice, large, comfortable bed and pondering what was going on in Dauntless now that he was gone.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey, I had a hard time writing this chapter because I wanted to keep Eric somewhat the mean guy he is in the movie but most of the time he was coming out nicer than I wanted. I hope what I finally got is good and that you guys like it!<strong>


	5. Chapter 4

Olivia's alarm clock went off at 5 am. Groggy eyed, she stumbled out of bed and silenced the alarm before heading to the bathroom for a shower.

She had stayed up later than she normally would have just thinking about the man that slept on her couch. She imagined what it would be like to have a man like him around. She already knew he would eat her out of house and home, but what else would change? Would he fix things around the house? She doubted it. He didn't look like the handy type. Privacy would probably be an issue though, as she made sure to lock the bathroom door behind her.

Once she was done showering, she let her mother have her turn and got dressed in her room. She decided to wear one of her red dresses and tied her hair into a loose bun, then went to start breakfast.

As she entered the main room, she heard snoring and peeked over the side of the couch to find that Eric was not asleep on it. Going around she found him sound asleep on the floor, the blanket wrapped around one leg as the other protruded from underneath it, and his left arm rested underneath his head and pillow as his right hand rested on his chest, thankfully still clothed in his Dauntless uniform.

Not caring whether he woke up nicely or not, she proceeded to make as much noise as she could while making breakfast and the sound of the frying pan hitting the stove top jerked him awake.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty. You might want to hop in the shower once Connor is done if you don't want to miss breakfast." She said as she scrambled the eggs.

She smirked to herself when he bleary eyed made his way to the bathroom, and cursed as he tripped over a dining chair. Her day was looking up already.

Five minutes later her mother and son showed themselves and helped her set the table. They were putting food onto their plates when Eric made an appearance and sat down. He had a day's growth along his jaw and his hair was damp and curly.

"What happened to your hair?" She asked him, casually.

"They didn't exactly let me pack my things before kicking me out. This is what it looks like without my hair gel." He said as he piled food onto his plate, avoiding her gaze.

"It's just like my hair, mom!" Connor smiled, proud to have something in common with his father, obviously not realizing how much more he shared with him already.

Olivia gave her son a polite smile and listened as her mother asked Eric a question.

"How did you sleep last night? I know you're quite a bit bigger than our couch, but I hope it did the job."

"I slept on the floor, actually." He said, and then took a bit of his eggs.

Linda looked ashamed at their hospitality and said to Olivia, "Maybe he can move into my room, and you and I could share?"

"What? No. He doesn't deserve a bed, remember?" She got mad at her mother for mentioning it in front of him and Connor. She looked at Eric and found him staring at her intently.

"No, it's fine Ms. Spence. I can handle the floor just fine." He said without breaking eye contact.

"Why can't he sleep in a bed?" Connor asked, looking between the three of them, confused.

"We don't have enough beds for everyone sweetheart, and Grandma and I can't share because she hits people when she sleeps." Olivia ignored the glare her mother gave her for the lie she just told.

"Oh… Why don't you share with dad then? All my friend's parents share a room." He suggested.

She choked on her drink and glanced to see Eric smirking. "No, we can't share either."

"Why not?" Connor pouted.

"Because, Mom hits people when she sleeps too. You better hurry up or you'll be late for your ride to school." She said to change the subject.

Connor ate the last piece of bacon on his plate and got up to grab his school bag. Before he ran out the door, he kissed his mother and grandmother on the cheek and caught Eric off guard as he quickly hugged him good-bye.

* * *

><p>Eric recovered from the surprise contact and chuckled to himself as the ladies argued. <em>Kids sure knew how to stir things up<em>, he thought.

"Why did you just lie to your son like that?" Linda asked.

"I had to give him a reason to explain why Eric is sleeping on the floor and that sounded reasonable enough. We don't need to share rooms just to keep up appearances, mother. And we're not here to make _his_ punishment easier, either." Olivia said harshly and quickly collected the dishes.

Olivia must have been the angriest Amity he had ever met and although he didn't blame her, he sure didn't want to live with it. He got up to leave for his work sentence when Olivia stopped him.

"You can't leave yet, not without us and you're not ready." She rushed to another room and a couple of minutes later she came back with yellow clothing.

"Your black clothing will be too hot to work in. These were my father's, and they probably won't fit very well, but they'll do until we can get you your own clothes." She said.

"I thought you weren't here to make my punishment easier." He mocked her.

"I may not like you or want you here, but that doesn't mean I'm trying to kill you." She shoved the clothes into his chest and crossed her arms, waiting for him to get changed.

Maybe she still had a little bit of Amity left in her after all.

He went into the bathroom and took off his black uniform. It was heavily wrinkled from being slept in and smelt faintly of body odor. Just like his hair, his clothes now would be different compared to the Dauntless version of himself and he longed to go home.

* * *

><p>Olivia and Linda escorted Eric to his work detail in one of the corn fields that were being newly planted for the next harvest. There they met up with Paul, whom would be working with him that day and passed him off before heading over to the orchard for their own work.<p>

The day was hot and Olivia was glad for the wide brimmed hat she wore to keep the sun off her. From her position on top of the ladder to help her pick apples, she could see Eric working.

His shirt sleeves were rolled up past his forearms and he wiped the sweat off his brow with the back of his hand as he pushed the plow through the mud while the horse pulled it. They had to dig up rows in the ground before they could plant the seeds and it was hard work, she knew, because her father used to do it when he was younger.

He would need to have a hot bath when he got home to ease his sore muscles and a massage, but no way was she giving him the latter. She might try and dig up her father's old hat for him and his canteen though. Like she told him earlier, she wasn't out to kill him and he would need these things to survive the heat.

As lunch time rolled around, she found herself watching her own mother approach him with food. It was one thing for someone to bring him food and water, but for her own mother to do so was like she was trying to anger Olivia by being nice to the man who hurt her. That was it. She wasn't serving bread any more.

* * *

><p>Eric leaned heavily against the plow he was given to torture himself with and mopped his face with the sleeve of his shirt when he was informed it was time for lunch.<p>

In the distance he could see Ms. Spence coming towards him. He watched as her short stature made its way through the mud, one hand on her hat to keep it from blowing off in the wind that started to pick up and the other holding a basket.

"My, what a muddy place this is. You'll be filthy by the time you get home tonight." She said as she got nearer.

Eric smiled at the older woman. He actually kind of liked her, because she reminded him of his grandmother.

"Oh, what a gorgeous smile you have. You better keep that in check if you don't want all the girls to be fainting around you." She bantered playfully. Eric laughed.

"I brought you some lunch, so you wouldn't have to be gawked at in the cafeteria. Paul's gone so I'll stay and share with you." She said and they both moved over to the grassy area at the edge of the field to sit down.

"Does Olivia know you're here?" He asked.

Linda waved him off. "Of course she does, she's probably watching us right now, angry as a viper that was stepped on."

Eric grinned at her blatant defiance of her daughter's wishes. He opened the basket and handed her one of the sandwiches and took one for himself. It tasted a bit funny when he took his first bite, but he was so hungry he finished it off quickly and grabbed another. A warm sensation spread through him and he felt relaxed.

"Is there peace serum in this?" He asked her, curious.

"Oh, yes I should have mentioned that. It's in the bread. Everyone here eats it, to ensure peaceful feelings." Linda explained.

"It doesn't seem like Olivia's been eating it lately." He mentioned between bites.

"Don't mind her. She's just riled up because your appearance has turned things upside down with Connor. She's afraid he will take a liking to you and then leave her behind to follow your footsteps. Not that all your footsteps have been good ones, so I can understand her fear. But you're here now to prove to us that you're a good man, for Connor's sake and your own. Life can be good here, if you let it, or it can be bad. It all depends on you."

"What if I'm not cut out to be good? I certainly wasn't the best person to be around in Dauntless when it came to dealing with people. I oversaw the training of the initiates and in fact I was pretty harsh on them." He looked at her, thinking she would see the true him.

"Why were you harsh to them?" She simply asked.

"They needed to be pushed into being tougher to survive there. If you couldn't handle it that meant you could get killed." He replied.

"That doesn't sound like you were harsh just because you liked it. You tried to help them. Doesn't sound like a bad guy to me." She said.

"That doesn't mean I belong here. I like to argue, I like to fight, and I like to do crazy things for the thrill of it. Doesn't sound like something a guy in Amity usually does."

Linda smiled. "Well, it's a good thing you're not actually a member of Amity then. You'll get a bit more lenience when it comes to arguing, but the aggression will have to be put to better use, like plowing this field or building a fence. I hear you get to bang on a lot of stuff when you building something." Her eyes twinkled with merriment.

"Sure, I can do that. I built my own bike, growing up. Not much use for that kind of skill in Dauntless, but in Erudite we learned all kinds of things." Eric said chewing on the apple he started on when he finished both sandwiches.

"Erudite! I can say I did not see that coming. You strike me as a born Dauntless, but I guess if you transferred that means you didn't belong there anyway." She said.

"No, I hated studying. I made that bike so I could skip class and practice tricks on it in an empty alley. But like all Erudite parents, they forced me to learn new things. I don't think they were surprised when I defected." He frowned as he stared out over the field.

"Well, you made a new home for yourself once maybe you can do it again. But I better get back to work and so should you, because here comes Paul." She patted his knee before getting up and heading off with her empty basket of goodies.

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><p><strong>Hey guys, thanks for all the reviews and the followsfavs! Hope you liked this chapter, let me know if you like where the story is going so far.**


	6. Chapter 5

Olivia and her mother picked Eric up from the corn field, and found him drenched in sweat, and his fair skin sun burned where his clothing did not cover. They could tell he was exhausted as he lumbered behind them on their way home.

The sun was low in the sky by the time they reached their cottage and Connor was already inside, working on his homework.

"I'm going to start dinner, if you want to take care of him." Linda said before Olivia could say the same thing to her.

Not wanting to be left alone with the man she said, "What about Connor's homework. I should help with that first."

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure I can help him at the same time. Now go, before he passes out standing up." Linda nodded to Eric who leaned against the wall, his eyes fighting to stay open.

"Fine, come on Eric. I'll start the bath for you."

She went to the bathroom and turned on the tap. She hadn't noticed that he was standing directly behind her until she stood up and bumped into him. He grabbed her shoulders to steady her when she jerked away and nearly fell into the tub.

"I… I'll be right back with a fresh towel." She stuttered and he let her go.

Olivia hid behind her closed bedroom door and had a mini freak out. A couple of minutes later she breathed in deeply to calm herself down.

"You're ok, Olivia. He didn't hurt you and you've been alone with him before in the greenhouse... Except this time he touched me… Don't freak out. You can't let other people see how much he affects you." She said to herself. The bath was probably full by that time so she collected herself, grabbed a towel and went back to the bathroom.

She must have been too deep in thought to realize the water was no longer running, because when she entered she found Eric already sitting in the bath with his head resting against the wall.

His bare chest and shoulders were above the waterline and because he was so tall, his knees also peeked out while everything else was submerged. His eyes were closed and he didn't react to her coming in so she thought maybe he hadn't noticed and gently placed the towel down on the toilet seat and back out quietly. While he bathed, she went back to the kitchen to help with dinner.

"So, I noticed you had lunch with Eric today." She said to her mother as she cut up carrots.

"Did you?" Linda replied, not giving away that she already assumed she had.

"Yes, and I want to know why you're being nice to him?" She stopped and glared at her.

"I'll have you know that I am an adult and can be nice to whomever I want to. Also, I had a nice conversation with him today and he doesn't seem so bad. Maybe you should give him a chance. He might surprise you." Linda said.

Olivia was going to retort when Eric walked in with only a towel around his waist. The short curly blond hair that dusted his chest and the six pack abs he had was certain to give every girl he met wet dreams. She hadn't seen him half naked eight years ago but today she was sure he was probably twice as good looking now as he was then.

He cleared his throat and said, "I need more clothes."

Olivia mentally smacked herself. She was so flustered when he touched her that she totally forgot to get him fresh clothing when she got his towel.

"Of course, dear!" Her mother said and hurried off to fetch him some.

* * *

><p>Eric followed Linda to her bedroom. The small room had a double sized bed with a pink floral bedspread and a simple dresser with a few nick knacks on top. She was riffling through a box in the closet when he came in.<p>

"Here you go. I promise, tomorrow we'll get you clothes that fit. After dinner I will go ask Joanna to have some delivered first thing in the morning, but for now I'll let you get dressed." And she closed the door behind her to give him some privacy.

He was extremely tired and sore, he hadn't felt this bad since his initiation into Dauntless and the bed behind him begged him to lie down. With what little energy he had left, he got dressed and joined the others for dinner.

The only conversation at dinner was Linda asking Connor how his school day was. Eric was too tired to pay attention to what they were saying and he noticed that Olivia avoided looking at him. He knew his touch had bothered her, from the way she rushed out, but he had done it instinctively so she wouldn't hurt herself. He hoped she knew that.

Before he knew it, dinner finished and Linda rushed out the door with Connor in tow, because he refused to be left behind, and he was left alone with Olivia who was washing the dishes.

Eric stumbled over to the couch in his exhaustion and leaned heavily into the cushion. He was falling asleep when a voice woke him up.

"We better take care of that sun burn before you fall asleep." Olivia said with a bottle in her hand.

Heavy-lidded, he straightened up and mumbled, "Sure."

"Here's the ointment." He heard her say, but when he didn't make a move to take the bottle he felt fingers smearing something cool against his skin.

Eric forced his eyes open and found her sitting on a chair in front of him, rubbing the ointment on his arms where it was red. He watched her for a while, taking in her tanned skin and the auburn curls that framed her pretty face. It was so long that one tendril even fell over her shoulder and caressed his hand. The feeling of her massaging his arm muscles relaxed him and the last thing he remembered was absentmindedly playing with her hair.

* * *

><p>Olivia moved from his arms to his face and realized that he fell asleep. Trying to ignore the uneasy feeling of being near him, she rubbed the cream over his broad forehead and down his long nose, then across his cheeks and chin and down his neck. His skin was hot to the touch, but it was smooth and velvety with the soft curls that adorned his arms.<p>

When she was done, she wedged his pillow behind his head and covered him with the blanket. It would have to do because he was too heavy for her to move on her own.

Her mother and son came in just as she was finishing tucking him in and she gestured for them to be quiet as they all headed for bed.


	7. Chapter 6

Eric woke up on the couch to a dark and quiet house. His neck and back were stiff from the sitting position he slept in all night, but he felt rested, which is why he woke up before anyone else had.

He stood up and stretched out his sore muscles. The clock on the wall said it was 4:16 am and he decided to get a glass of water then have his shower early.

The water was warm against his back and he stood there, letting it pound on his sore muscles. The sound of the door opening brought his attention to the shadow that crossed over to him.

"Dad?" Came Connor's voice.

He still wasn't used to having someone call him that, but he repressed his cringe at the title and answered. "Yeah, it's me. Aren't you up a little early?"

"I heard the shower and wanted to ask you something." Connor replied.

"What if I was your mom or grandma?" Eric peeked from behind the curtain. Connor was in his wrinkled, solid a blue pajamas and his hair looked like a bird had turned it into a nest.

"They never get up before 5 am, so I knew it was you." He said and then paused. "Can I work with you today? Plowing a field sounds like more fun than picking berries."

"Don't you have school?" Eric asked confused.

"No, it's Saturday. I usually help my mom in the orchard but I thought maybe you might want my help."

Eric hesitated with his answer. Plowing was not fun and he wasn't sure if Olivia would allow him to, but having company would be nice so he said, "Its ok with me, _if_ it's ok with your mom first."

Connor beamed. "I'll ask her!" He jumped up and bounded from the room, leaving the door wide open.

From the shower he could hear the boy barge into his mother's room and begin begging her to let him spend the day with his father. He got the distinct feeling that the rude awakening was going to be his fault instead of Connor's. Sure enough he heard Olivia approach.

"Why are you showering with the door open?" She sounded cranky.

"I wasn't. Connor left it open in his excitement to talk to you." He replied and scrubbed himself as quickly as he could.

"So, you did tell him that he could work with you today?" She sounded annoyed.

"He came in here asking me if he could and I said it was ok if you said it was. I didn't even realize it was Saturday." He defended himself.

When she didn't say anything back, he opened the curtain a small portion and looked out. She stood there staring at him with a pensive look and her arms crossed.

* * *

><p>"Fine, he can go with you, but you better not let him get hurt." She pointed at him to emphasize her sincerity.<p>

The look in his eyes when he watched her try to threaten him said that he didn't think much of the threats and he snapped the curtain shut, leaving her there to point at nothing.

Olivia narrowed her eyes at the spot his face used to occupy and left to start the coffee pot.

Connor was sitting on the couch playing with his action figures when she entered the living room. She decided the coffee could wait for a bit and went over and hugged him from behind.

"It's ok with me if you want to work with Eric today. Be careful though, I don't want to find out that you got hurt or into trouble. You hear me? And Paul's the one in charge so you better do everything he says." She said from her position against his shoulder and the movement of him nodding caused her chin to bobble.

"Good. Now how do pancakes sound for breakfast?" She said releasing him and going back to her original goal of starting the coffee pot.

His eager response brought a smile to her face and she hummed while she gathered the ingredients for the pancakes.

The sound of Connor excitedly announcing to Eric that she gave him permission to help him caught her attention and she saw Eric looking down at their son with an amused expression as they came to sit down at the table.

He was wearing the new clothes her mother brought home with her last night and they fit his broad frame much better than her father's old clothes did. If they hadn't gotten them soon, she was worried she would to have had to let a few of her dad's shirts out and she wasn't much of a seamstress.

Olivia went back to what she was doing as Connor happily chatted to Eric, who quietly listened and by the time she was finished making breakfast, her mother and Connor both had their own showers and were ready for the day.

After they finished up breakfast, her mother said she would clean up so Olivia could have time for a quick shower before they needed to leave, and as she left the room she heard Eric offer to help Linda.

Taken aback by this, she spied around the corner and watched as Eric gathered the plates from the table and brought them over to the sink where Linda was filling it with soapy water. He then proceeded to dry off the dishes she had washed and put them away on her direction.

_He had only been there for two days and her mother already had him trained? What kind of sorcery was this?_ She thought to herself before finally turning to have her shower.

* * *

><p>Eric helped guide Connor through the mud with the plow. His tiny 8 year old muscles could barely budge the large piece of equipment on his own, even with the horse pulling it from the front, but together it pushed its way forward and cut a line through the mud like a knife through butter. He didn't know if it was Connor's help that made it seem easier that day or if the ground was just softer.<p>

They both panted as sweat ran down their faces when they took a break for lunch. Connor dropped exaggeratedly to the grass where Eric and Linda had lunch the day before, and Eric sat down next to him, pulling out the canteen Olivia had scrounged up for him.

He passed the container to Connor after he took a long sip and watched as the boy nearly drank it dry.

"Hey, save some for later." He said, taking the bottle back and twisting the cap back on.

"Can you die from pushing too hard?" Connor asked from his spot on the ground.

Eric chuckled. "I think you'll be ok." He looked behind him at the orchard and saw a few people sitting under the trees to eat their lunches in the shade. "You can always go back to your mom, if it's too much for you." He teased.

"No way! This is man's work and I'm a man, just like you." He said sitting up.

Eric ruffled Connor's hair. "You've got heart, kid." Connor smiled at the praise.

Just like yesterday, Linda came bearing a basket with food for the three of them to share and she sat down next to them. Her wide brim hat created just enough shade for Eric's right arm to hide in from the sun.

"How is it going?" She asked. "Is Connor doing a good job?"

"I couldn't ask for a better helper." Eric replied smiling at the boy who grinned at his grandmother with his cheeks puffed out, full of food.

"Don't forget to chew before swallowing all that food, Connor." Linda scolded him, half-heartedly.

Connor chewed quickly and swallowed before saying, "I know grandma. I'm just SO HUNGRY! Did you bring any dessert? Because I might need two servings today, too keep up my energy, and all."

They both laughed at his antics. "Of course, I did. Chocolate chip cookies and you may have two, if your belly can fit them in." She said.

Lunch finished and so did the day when they all arrived back at the house. Connor practically crawled to his bed, citing he was too tired for dinner and wanted to go to sleep early.

Eric watched him go and felt a smile tug on his lips as he thought back on the day. The kid worked really hard and yet kept his spirits up through the heat and strain, and in doing so kept Eric from being drained like the day before.

He was starting to like having a son, but the memory of his own wild youth kept him anticipating, with fear, those bad days that were surely to come. Disciplining a child was not the same as an initiate and he wasn't sure he would be prepared for such an event. Hopefully with luck, Olivia would be the one to do it._ She must've had plenty of practice by now_, he thought.

"Would you like some help with dinner?" He asked Olivia who was pulling things out of the fridge.

At his question she stood up and looked at him suspiciously. "Why? Do you think by helping out that you'll get better treatment or something?"

Why was she being so difficult? Today's experience with Connor made him realize that help made a job easier and more enjoyable, compared to doing it on your own. Besides, it was part of his sentencing to help her, not for them to do everything for him. They had already fed him two days in a row, gave him clothing and fixed him up after a hard day outside. He didn't like being waited upon, he was used to doing stuff and he wanted to do his part.

"No. I'm forced to be here to help you so you might as well use me." He said.

"Well, I would appreciate it if you kept your help to my mother and Connor. I don't need you doing things for me that I have been doing myself for years." She said.

He rolled his eyes at her and went outside, where he growled his frustration as soon as the door closed behind him.

"Is Olivia getting on your nerves?" Linda asked from her flower bed with a small smile playing at her lips.

"You've noticed?" He asked sarcastically, sweeping a fallen branch off to the side with his foot.

"Well, it's bound to happen. You've got bad blood between you. Tension is high, so naturally arguments will occur." She replied, still looking down at her roses.

"How am I supposed to fix what happened so we can move on?" He asked, angry and confused.

"You can't, what happened, happened. Nothing will change that." Linda said sadly.

"Great…" He mumbled, looking up at the dark sky.

"Can she trust you? Can Connor and I?" She asked after a moment's hesitation.

He looked at her thoughtfully. "If you mean, will I hurt you physically, then no, I won't."

"I mean, will you allow yourself to be a part of this family or will you betray us at the first chance you get? Can Olivia entrust you with our emotional lives? She won't want you around as long as she thinks you'll take off as soon as Connor loves you and leave him heartbroken." Linda stood up, watching him take in her words.

Could he do that? Could he be satisfied here for the rest of his life, having the love of a son and the acceptance of a new family? If Dauntless asked him back, would he be able to decline the chance to return to his old life? Right now, he would say no. He was only beginning to get to know this new family, and even though he liked them, well most of them, he didn't love them yet.

"I can't promise something like that right now." He replied.

"I appreciate the honesty, Eric." She patted his arm. "Think on it and if you decide it's something you can promise then know all you have to do is show her that she can trust you." She added before entering the house.

Eric leaned against the wall and rubbed his face with his hands in frustration. A throat clearing got his attention and he found a man standing in front of him.

He was shorter than Eric was, probably around the same height as Olivia, with short mousy brown hair, hazel eyes and a lanky build. Eric didn't recognize him.

"You must be Eric. My name is Jacob Willemsen. Would Olivia be in tonight?" He asked, offering his hand in greeting.

Eric just looked at his hand, without returning the gesture he opened the door and called inside, "Olivia, there's someone here to see you."

When she arrived at the door, she smiled at the visitor and then gave Eric a look to get lost. Put out, he went back into the house.

* * *

><p>"It's nice to see you, Jacob!" She smiled at him when Eric left.<p>

"Yes, I'm sorry I haven't come by sooner but work has kept me busy. I just wanted to come by and check in on you and Connor, now that you have a _guest_ staying with you." He said, implying that he was worried about their safety.

"Your visits are always welcome. We're just about to eat dinner, would you like to join us? Connor's already gone to bed, it was a busy day for him, so there's an empty plate at the table." She invited him.

"I would love to." He said and allowed her to go in first. Olivia wasn't sure if he was just being a gentleman or if it was part of his Abnegation upbringing. She took it as the former and entered the house.

"Jacob will be joining us for dinner." She announced to the others and grabbed an extra plate out of the cupboard for him. She placed it in the empty seat next to Eric and sat down in the chair across from Jacob as he sat down too.

"How have you been, Jacob?" Linda asked him politely.

"I've been well, Linda. Work around the compound has kept me very busy lately, fixing this and that. Joanna likes to keep this place in top shape." He smiled.

"So, you're a janitor?" Eric asked, not really hiding his mocking tone.

"I like to call myself a caretaker." Jacob replied, politely.

"Usually the weak take the jobs no one else wants." Eric said.

"Someone has to do it." Jacob said.

"You're a transfer aren't you? I bet from Abnegation." Eric sneered.

"That's enough, Eric. Everyone here in Amity is a valued member and all jobs are considered essential to our survival." Olivia interjected.

"Are you two seeing each other?" Eric waved his fork between the two of them.

"No." She replied, unsure what to say, because she did want Jacob to ask her out.

"Well, he must want to for him to show up here to check up on you when no one else has come by." Eric replied.

Olivia was about to get mad at him when Jacob held his hand up to stop her. "It's ok, Olivia. He's right. I have been meaning to ask you out on a date, but I find myself unable to get the words out when we're together. So, I thank you Eric for helping me to get it out." Jacob turned to Olivia. "Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night?"

She smiled and replied, "I would love to."

The rest of the meal was pleasant, as long as Eric kept his mouth shut, and Jacob helped Olivia do the dishes at the end. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Eric watching them from the couch with an unhappy look.

Then Jacob took his leave for the night and she walked him out. "Thank you for coming by, Jacob. I'm sorry for Eric." She said when they were safely outside.

"It's not your fault you got stuck with a brute of a man. I just wish for your sake that you didn't have to relive that horrible event each day when you have to see him. You can always accuse him and have him out of your life, if you want to. I for one would be relieved to see him go." He said.

"I wish I could, but I can't do that to Connor. He would be devastated." She replied.

"I understand. Well, good night and I look forward to tomorrow." He gave her a smile and left.

When she re-entered the house, Eric was still sitting on the couch.

"I don't like him." He simply stated.

That pissed her off. "So, I'm not allowed to date someone because _you_ don't like them? Not many men want to be with a single mother, you know, especially with you here now. Just look at you, tattoos, piercings and the mere size of you scares people. It took courage for him to show up here!"

"Don't I get a say in who gets to raise my son?" He didn't back down.

"NO! I've been waiting a year for him to ask me out and if you ruin this for me, then I will have you kicked out of Amity to roam the streets as the factionless, got it?" She said and stormed off.


	8. Chapter 7

It was Monday and Olivia was thankful that the day before was over. She had convinced Connor to help her in the orchard instead of going with Eric, because she knew he was exhausted and probably wouldn't be able to handle another day of plowing, and he was miserable for it.

He constantly asked her to see what Eric was up to and if she thought he needed his help. She always looked over to make him happy and would see Eric working hard, but would reassure Connor that Eric was doing fine without him.

Connor would pout and go back to what he was doing, until he would ask again thirty minutes later.

She found it maddening and was grateful when she was able to leave him with her mother while she had dinner at Jacob's home.

Dinner on the other hand was another story. It was quiet for the most part, except for the times when they managed to engage in polite conversation.

Olivia wanted to ask him things about himself and get to know him, but he always redirected the conversation to his work or her life while avoiding the topic of Eric.

It was exhausting trying to get him to talk, but when he asked her to see him again, she hoped it was only nerves that kept him from opening up and said yes, in hopes that he wouldn't be so boring next time.

When she got home, Eric was still awake; reading a book. He had asked her how it went and not wanting him to know the truth she lied and said it was fantastic.

Today Connor was back in school and she was informed this morning, by Paul, that Eric was nearly done plowing and would begin planting the seeds the next day. Then he would move onto another project.

She was sure they would send him to sheer the sheep. Even though it didn't hurt, no one liked to scare the animals and would gladly hand the task off. For someone like Eric, who came from Dauntless, it would probably be a breeze.

The day quickly came to an end and they were gathered around the table for dinner.

"How was school, Connor?" Olivia asked her son.

Connor pushed his peas around his plate and didn't look up. "It was fine."

"What's the matter, hunny?" She grew concerned. He was usually happy to talk about his day at school.

"Nothing, just some older kids were bugging me." He sighed.

"Who did? What did they say?" She pressed.

"They were from Dauntless, they heard about dad and said a bunch of stuff that I didn't understand. What does rape mean?" He asked.

Olivia froze. She never expected Connor to be effected by it at school, but it made sense. He went to school with kids from other factions and of course the Dauntless ones would find out why one of their leaders was kicked out. She silently cursed to herself.

Eric didn't appear happy either when she looked at him. This was his fault, not just for the rape, but for forcing himself into their lives when he could have ignored them and went home that night they came for Amity's permission on the border guards.

She couldn't contain her anger towards him anymore and blurted out, without thinking, "It's a bad thing that your dad did and it's his fault that those kids are bothering you."

* * *

><p>Eric's rage built up so much that it exploded.<p>

"I've had enough of you constantly reminding me of what a bad guy I am and what a horrible thing I did! Yes, it was bad and I'm sorry! Can we please, get over it now?!" He shouted. His knuckles white from gripping his fork tightly.

"I will not get over it! EVER! And that was fine until Connor was brought into it!" Olivia said back, failing to keep her voice neutral.

Linda quietly took Connor's hand and asked him to talk a walk with her while his parents talked. He nodded and followed her outside, silently.

"What do you want me to say? If sorry isn't enough, then what? You want to hear that it tormented me knowing that there was a girl out here traumatized by what I did to her? That I was 17, young and too ambitious to realize what kind of effect it was going to have until it was already done? I didn't even want to do it in the first place, but those two idiots would have done worse and I thought it would be better for me to do it." Eric ranted, standing up from his chair. Olivia did the same.

"How could they have done anything worse than what you did?" She asked, disbelieving.

"They would have beaten you, probably until you lost consciousness, ripped your clothes off and had their way with you and not in a gentle way, I promise you. They would have left you there naked and unmoving until someone found you like that. Would you have preferred that?" He said.

Olivia was quietly staring at him. Eric couldn't read the expression on her features and was unsure of what would happen next. Suddenly she sat down on her chair and began crying.

His anger was immediately replaced by uncertainty. He was making a mess of everything and he didn't know what to do. Eric wondered if he should comfort her, but thought against it at the memory of her running away from his touch before and he had no idea what to say to make her feel better, so he stood there like an idiot until the others came back.

Linda, finding them as they were, quickly rushed over to Olivia and ushered her to her bedroom, with a questioning look directed at Eric. He remained impassive as they left.

It took him a moment to realize that Connor was still in the room with him.

He kneeled down in front of him and said, "If those kids bother you again, let me know and I'll show you how to take care of bullies, ok?"

Connor nodded and Eric said, at his sad expression, "I promise, tomorrow will be a better day." He ruffled the boys' hair and added, "Let's get you ready for bed."

He helped him get changed into his pajamas and tucked him in before leaving to put away the forgotten dinner that still sat on the table, uneaten.

* * *

><p>Olivia sat down on her bed, sobbing against her mother's shoulder.<p>

When Eric had said those things, she didn't want to hear it until he mentioned his friends. Then the realization hit that what he had said sounded like the truth.

She remembered them telling Eric she needed to be punished, punished for just being on the train at the same time as them. As he described the despicable things they would have done, she imagined it happening, and she knew then that she was lucky it was him. Olivia cried at the thought of what could have happened to her; what did happen and what would happen to her future because of that one act.

Life was unfair.

When she calmed down, she fell back onto the bed she was sitting on and wanted to sleep for a hundred years.

"Did Eric hurt you?" Linda asked softly, now that she had stopped crying.

Olivia shook her head. "No. He just made a valid point and brought back some bad memories." She said and threw her arm over her eyes.

"Well, I know it might not be the best time to bring this up, but for Connor's sake, I will." She paused a minute before continuing. "When we left so you two could argue, he asked me why his parents hate each other. It broke my heart to hear that, because his whole life he's wanted nothing more than to have both parents around like his friends do. He doesn't know what the situation is and I know you may never love each other, but I'm asking you to just be nice to each other." Linda pleaded.

Olivia frowned. She hadn't realized that they were fighting in front of him so much. She didn't want to upset Connor and because she may have been wrong to be so touchy with Eric in the first place, she agreed.

"Ok, mom, I'll be nicer." She replied and crawled under the covers.

"Thank you, sweetheart." Linda leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Get a goodnight's rest, ok." And she quietly left to let Olivia fall asleep.

* * *

><p>In the morning, Eric was woken up by dishes rattling. Peering around the couch he found Olivia turning the coffee pot on, her hair still wet from the shower she had, loosely hanging down her back.<p>

When she noticed him watching her, she politely said good morning and asked him what he would like for breakfast. He was expecting her to completely ignore him or be more of a bitch than usual, after the fight they had. He was stunned into silence when she greeted him with neither.

"I know you're awake, I can see you looking at me. What do you want to eat?" Now there was the attitude he was looking for.

He sat up from his bed on the floor and said, "Anything is fine. I'm not a picky eater."

He heard her mumble a reply and watched her grab the eggs out of the fridge. He got up and pulled out the frying pan from the cupboard to help her, this time without bothering to ask first, knowing she would refuse him if he did.

She didn't say anything when he joined her, but he noticed that she did flinch a few times when he got too close.

* * *

><p>The kitchen area was too small, in Olivia's opinion, to have them both in it. His large frame stood close to her, so close that she could feel the heat radiate off him. She didn't say anything when he started helping her in effort to make peace, but she wished he hadn't felt the need to do the same.<p>

A few times he reached past her to get something and she recoiled involuntarily; Eric would have had to been blind to not notice, but he didn't mention it. Instead they silently made breakfast together and she breathed a sigh of relief when he went to have his shower while she set the table.

Once everyone was ready, they sat down to eat.

Now that she was being nice to him, Olivia took the time to actually look at Eric. His hair was now full curls on top of his head and his unshaven face sported a beard that he kept short with the razor Paul gave him to use. He looked completely different than the guy that arrived days ago, and the only things left to tie him to his old faction were his tattoos and piercings.

As she gazed at him, she wondered if his tattoos had special meanings or if they were nonsense to scare people. If she had to guess, she'd pick the latter, but she didn't really know him and sometimes people could surprise you, like he did last night by telling her his point of view from that night.

Olivia shoved those thoughts to the back of her mind and ate her breakfast. The conversation was minimal and it was soon time to start another day.


	9. Chapter 8

"Have a good day off." Linda said to her, with a lingering look to remind her to be on her best behaviour. Connor shouted good-bye from the door and Linda laughed as he dashed outside, pulling her with him. When Eric got up to leave with them, Olivia stopped him.

"Where are you going?" She asked, annoyed that she had to spend the day with him alone.

Eric turned with a confused look. "I'm going to work."

"Not today. My mother and I are taking turns sharing a day off with you, and today is my turn." She replied, busying herself with picking up Connor's toys that were left in the living room.

"Oh… I didn't think I was 'allowed' days off." He said behind her.

With her hands full of action figures, she stood up and faced him. "I can't promise it will be much of a day off, per say. There are a lot of chores that need to be done."

"What kind of chores?" He asked, looking around the tidy house.

"Laundry first, so it has time to dry out in the sun, the bathroom needs a good scrubbing, sweeping the floors and washing the windows." She listed off.

Olivia watched his face sour at her list of things to do. She furrowed her brow and asked, "You do know how to clean, right?"

"Yes, I know how to clean." He mocked her. "Where's your washing machine?" He asked.

"We don't have one. We do it by hand." She replied.

"You've got to be kidding me." He said.

"Nope, follow me." She set the toys down on the couch and went outside.

* * *

><p>Eric followed her, with a sinking feeling, to an empty clothesline behind the house and watched her flip over two large metal tubs and filled one with soap and warm water from a tap that protruded from the wall.<p>

When the tub was half full and bubbly, she filled the second tub with only water and got out this gadget that looked like a ribbed metal pan. Then she reached out for the basket he carried.

As he passed it to her, their fingers brushed and he watched her eyes close for the briefest moment. He decided then to make a conscious effort to touch her more often until she stopped acting like he was a dead rat.

She proceeded to dump the entire contents of the basket into the tub with soap and swished them around until they all became soaked with water.

"Alright, this is how we do laundry. You take this washboard and scrub the clothes with it, like so." She sat down and demonstrated with a red shirt, pushing it back and forth along the board and dunking, before doing it over again. Then she wrung it out and dunked it a few times in the rinse water until the water ran clear from it and she wrung it again. He watched as she got up and hung the shirt on the line with what he guessed were wooden tweezers.

"Why don't you get started scrubbing and I will hang them up." She said when she finished.

He rolled his eyes and sank to his knees by the tub and began washing the clothes.

* * *

><p>Olivia began to relax in the mundane task of hanging clothes as a cool breeze gently rustled her red patterned dress and the clear sky allowed the sun to dry her hair into the natural curls she always had.<p>

The sound of water sloshing in the background helped her to pretend she was relaxing by an ocean, listening to the waves, until Eric's voice joined in the rhythm and took her out of her reverie.

"Are all of our days off going to be like this?" Eric asked from his position on the ground.

She found him soaked from the chest down as the water splashed over the edges of the tub and couldn't help but smirk at his appearance.

"It depends on how fast we get the chores done. There's usually always something, but with an extra pair of hands we might be able to have more free time." She replied.

"What were your days off like in Dauntless?" She asked before she realized the words came out of her mouth. Making conversation with him wasn't required to be nice to him and it wasn't on her agenda either, but it was too late for her to take it back.

"I usually trained with John to keep in shape. We ran laps and sometimes we practiced shooting before kicking the shit out of each other. I usually won, but he'd get a few good shots here and there. Then we'd go to the infirmary to get fixed up before dinner." He shrugged, like his day was the most normal thing in the world.

Her brow rose and she couldn't stop herself from asking, "You never just relaxed?"

"Sure we did, we usually went to the bar after work or got a tattoo. Those are relaxing." He said, scrubbing away at another piece of fabric.

Those things did not sound relaxing to her at all. Dauntless sounded like a completely different lifestyle and she was having a hard time understanding where he came from and how he would ever be satisfied in Amity. He would eventually get so bored, she was sure he would choose to be factionless on his own.

Not wanting him to break Connor's heart she suggested, "You might want to try the Amity way of relaxing and just sit down and do nothing. You know, lie in the grass and look up at the stars and daydream or something. You might like it."

"That's all there's to life in Amity? Going to work, doing chores, and doing nothing? Don't you guys have any fun?" He asked, angrily wringing out what he had just washed.

"Of course we do, but having fun isn't the same as just relaxing. Fun is for the soul and relaxing is for the body. There's something about just stopping and looking at the world around you or getting lost in a good book as your body rests." She said and then shrugged. "But if you want fun, there are lots of things you can do. We often play games, and festivals are pretty common as well, there's even a dance coming up… Connor's rather fond of climbing trees too. That might be up your alley." She said.

He remained silent and handed her another piece of clothing and when she went to put it up she noticed it was one of her bras. She forgot she had it in there and blushed. She was going to have to remember to keep her underwear separate and wash them when he wasn't around.

Silence quickly fell upon them again and they finished the laundry in a couple of hours compared to a full morning when she did it by herself.

After dumping the tubs, Eric took the basket with him to the house to get changed into dry clothes and Olivia followed behind him.

She wasn't sure what his definition of clean was so she wanted to do the bathroom herself and when he was dry, gave him the task of sweeping the floors. Once she was done the bathroom, she found Eric rummaging through the kitchen and two sandwiches on the counter.

"What's this?" She asked, nearing the kitchen.

"Lunch, I don't know about you but I am starving." He said as he poured two glasses of milk.

He passed her one and she looked at it in surprise. "Oh, I thought they were both for you."

"I'm pretty sure I only need one glass." He said.

"I meant the sandwiches." She ignored his sarcasm.

"I can always make another if I'm still hungry, but you need to eat too." He took his plate and sat down at the table.

Olivia hesitated. She hadn't eaten bread since the first day Eric arrived, but knowing the bread would help her to get over her anger towards him, she lifted her plate from the counter and sat across from him.

Taking a bite out of her ham sandwich, she wondered what he was up to, and then realized that he had been eating the bread this whole time and wondered if he knew about the serum. If he didn't know, she wasn't going to tell him.

* * *

><p>The silence that always accompanied them when they were together was getting on his nerves. He missed the noises of Dauntless, the loud murmurs of a large group of people talking at once and the clink of dishes during dinner, the boisterous crowd in the Pit, and even the training room with its grunts and groans with the occasional smacking of a body on a mat.<p>

To break it, Eric asked the first thing that came to mind, "What do you do during your free time?"

"Why do you want to know?" She asked.

"For the same reason you asked me, out of curiosity." He shrugged and took a bite out of his sandwich.

It took her a minute to answer, obviously trying to decide whether or not to tell him. "I paint, when I have time."

"Are you any good?" He asked between chews.

"Good enough that they get distributed." Olivia replied before taking a sip of her milk.

"Can I see one?" He asked, not remembering seeing any unfinished paintings hanging around the house.

"You already have, there on the wall." She pointed.

Eric turned to see what she was talking about and found a painting he had seen but not taken notice of before, hung above the mantel of the fireplace.

It was a picture of a farm, but done in strokes of bright colours and very little fine detail. It was one of those paintings that are best viewed as a whole from a distance. (for an example look up Leonid Afremov)

Eric liked it and he had a feeling that he had seen something like it before. A memory popped into his head.

_He was sitting in a chair with Tori bent over his arm, piercing his skin with a needle and to ignore the pain he stared ahead of him at a painting on the wall._

That was it. Tori had one in her tattoo parlor of the city skyline at night. The colours were darker in that one but the style was still the same. He had liked it because it made him feel tranquil, like he was standing on the roof of the Dauntless compound, staring out over the other buildings with their lights twinkling along with the stars above.

But this one was done with a myriad of colours that made the picture feel joyful and warm, and it struck him funny how all that time he had been staring at a picture she had made, during times of pain to comfort him, when he was the one who had caused her pain.

"You're really good." He said still deep in thought and then snapped out of it. "Why don't you just paint all the time?" He asked her.

"I don't have the patience to do it all the time, only when the mood strikes me. But we do have full time artists within Amity as well as musicians." She replied.

"What about your friends? Do you even have any? Because, other than Jacob, I haven't seen you talk to anyone else outside of this house." He commented on her lack of social life.

"This is Amity, of course I have friends." She gave him a look that asked what was wrong with him.

"Then why don't you see your friends during your time off if you don't paint all the time?" He asked.

"They have families of their own that they like to spend time with." She answered and leaned back in her chair, done with her meal.

"I know this might be hard to grasp for a bachelor, but family is more important than going out and getting drunk. Yes, it's healthy to get out once in a while with friends, but kids take up a lot of your time and it's hard to find the time for that sort of stuff." She explained and then added with a shrug, "Plus, they're too scared to come over now, so I see them at work and I get my socializing done then."

"They're scared of me, you mean." He was annoyed.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Yes, they're scared of you. What do you expect? For people to just come over and want to hang out with the ex-Dauntless guy, because they think he's really cool?"

"No…" He said and rubbed his temples in frustration. "I'm only now starting to comprehend just how much of your life I've changed by coming here, and it apparently sucks. You don't see your friends anymore, and Connor is getting picked on at school, I can understand why you hate me so much and I don't hold it against you. I promise I'll do whatever it takes to make it right."

Olivia looked baffled at his revelation. Was it really that hard for her to believe that he would be sorry for anything and want to make up for it? He watched as her green eyes went from shock to confusion.

"Why do you care so much about making us happy? The only reason why I am sitting here having this conversation with you is to make Connor happy, why are _you_ doing it?" She asked.

Eric sighed, why did he care?

"I don't know. Maybe it's because I like Connor and Linda, I might even like you if you weren't so crabby all the time." He confessed.

He saw her body tense up as she went on the defensive. "I don't want you to like me. We can play nice in front of the others, maybe have a civilized conversation when we're alone, like today, but we are not friends. Now if you'll excuse me, inspiration has hit and I would like to go paint in my room. I don't care what you decide to do with the rest of your day, as long as you leave me alone."

He watched her leave the room in a hurry and he shook his head. This is why he never had a steady girlfriend. Women were way too complicated to deal with on a regular basis.

* * *

><p>Olivia opened the window in her room to allow the fresh air to expel the smell of her oil paints and pulled her easel out of her closet and a fresh canvas. She sat down in front of it and let her mind wander through the thoughts that plagued her as her hands moved automatically.<p>

Eric. Why did he keep apologizing? It didn't fit with the perception of him that she had and it was confusing her. Part of her wanted to be friends with him so Connor would be happy, the other part wanted to slap him left and right, but that part was diminishing with each kind act he committed.

Consuming the peace serum with food had a gradual effect. It certainly would not alter his behaviour this quickly, so why was he being kind in the first place?

These were the types of questions that flew through her mind for the next couple of hours, with no answers, until her back was sore from hunching over to reach the canvas and she took a break.

Eric's eyes stared back at her when she finally focused on her work and she groaned. She must have painted him because he was what occupied her thoughts and not wanting anyone to see it she stashed the canvas under the bed to dry. Then she grabbed her book, relaxed on her bed and began to read for the rest of the night.

* * *

><p>The sun was going down in the sky, giving it that pink and orange effect as Eric paced the backyard.<p>

Earlier when Linda and Connor came home, he told them that Olivia was painting in her room and they decided to have dinner in the cafeteria instead of bothering her. Apparently she could spend hours without eating when she started working on her artwork.

They invited him to go with them, but he declined, stating that he could eat the leftovers from the night before, so he could have some alone time himself.

Not knowing what else to do when she left him that afternoon, he washed the windows anyway and had a nap. Now he was alert and thinking.

He thought about what Olivia had said about relaxing in Amity and decided to give it a try.

He flopped down onto the grass and laid back to look up at the darkening sky. The grass tickled his arms as he folded them behind his head and he crossed one foot over the other.

Above him a lone star blinked on and off in the distance and gradually as the sun set, more stars came out. Eventually the sky was filled with tiny white dots and Eric gave up trying to count them. He had never seen so many before and it amazed him.

He was deep in thought when he heard voices coming from the front of the house as Connor and Linda came home and he decided to head in too. The night air was getting cooler by the minute and his stomach rumbled.

He warmed up a plate of food and ate quickly while Linda read Connor a book in the same rocking chair Olivia read to him in the first night he was there and then they all headed to bed.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey guys, sorry for the late update. Forgive me if Eric or Olivia was out of character in this chapter or it moved too fast or anything like that, because it took a really long time to write this chapter that I finally just wanted to get it over with so I could move on with the story. It might be a while until the next chapter again, because I am going to be pretty busy this coming week and I'm trying to alternate updating this story with my other one and it's my other story's turn for an update after this one.<strong>

**Anyway, I hope you guys like it!**


	10. Chapter 09

**_Hey guys! So I lied, I'm updating this story before my other one, because after finishing the last chapter this one just flowed out. And this one is quite a bit longer than usual too, so let me know if you like it!_**

* * *

><p><em>Eric's breath tickled her skin as he leaned in slowly to nibble at her neck. The sensation of his warm lips and the light graze of his beard as he made his way to her collar bone sent electricity through her.<em>

_ She relaxed into the thrill of having him so close to her, his large body pushing her against a wall in an unfamiliar corner._

_ Olivia's arms encircled him so her hands could feel his back muscles move underneath them as he inched closer still, his mouth moving back up her neck to playfully nip at her earlobe._

_ As the seconds began to feel like minutes, she could feel her lips tingle at the anticipation of his kiss. His mouth mere inches away and all he had to do was turn is face to make the contact._

Olivia woke up to the sound of her alarm beeping in the silence of the early morning and she rolled over to smack the clock. When the sound stopped, she rolled back and lay there, thinking back on her dream.

His face was fuzzy, but she was certain that she knew it was Eric while in her dream and she grumbled to herself. This was not something she needed at the moment.

Getting through the day while hating him was hard enough, never mind doing it while falling for him. Eric was not a good role model for her son and she refused to let it ruin her chances with someone who was, like Jacob.

Just because she found him attractive didn't mean she liked his personality, and one sensual dream couldn't possibly change your opinion of someone and make you fall for them, could it?

But the dream was so nice and so real. She couldn't erase it from her thoughts as she had her shower and got ready for the morning. It kept popping into her head every few seconds, especially when the living flesh of the man was in the room with her.

On the floor slept Eric, his face turned towards the burnt out fireplace and his body in the usual position she found him in every morning. He was on his back, his legs sprawled apart under the blanket, parts of them peeking out, this time it was a knee and both bare feet, and his arms flopped across his stomach.

His chest rose slowly with each deep breath he took and she seized the opportunity to appreciate his good looks. The soft curly hairs on his chest begged her to sweep her hand through them, his pectoral muscles asking to be caressed. Her eyes travelled up along the tattoos on his neck to his face and gazed longingly at his full lips, his long nose that bumped slightly at the bridge and then uplifted at the tip was exactly like Connor's and she snapped out of it.

_"STOP IT!"_ She shouted at herself in her head. _"It's just the dream talking. Get your mind on something else and when the day is over it will be like nothing had ever happened."_

She turned away from his sleeping form and began her usual routine. Down the hallway she could hear her mother's alarm go off and her shuffle out of her room to the bathroom, as Olivia started the French toast.

Fifteen minutes later Connor was roused by her mother and they both came into the main part of the house. Upon seeing Eric asleep, she watched as her son flopped onto Eric's midsection and he woke up with a surprised groan.

Linda scolded Connor for it, but Olivia remained silent, repressing the urge to grin at the scene. She couldn't openly thank him for such rude behaviour, but she did inwardly. Serve Eric right, for barging into her dreams like he had, not that it was really his fault, but on some level it was.

"Guess what, Dad!" Connor said happily, still sitting on Eric.

"What? Did Santa Claus come early?" He joked, sitting up against the couch with the boy in his lap.

"No!" Connor giggled. "I have no school today. That means we get to stay home with Grandma and hang out!"

Olivia couldn't believe she forgot that it was a non-instructional day today. That meant Connor stayed home from school and she was glad that her mother had the day off.

"I think Eric is still going to work today, Connor." She said, knowing that her mother had said she would share Friday off with him.

"Actually, yesterday Paul asked if we could keep Eric at home today. His wife, Sally, has to go into the city today so he needs to be at home with the kids." Linda said.

"Fine." She replied. At least she still had her next day off to herself and she wouldn't feel the need to keep looking over at the corn field to see him, which against her better judgement was what she was looking forward to doing that day.

* * *

><p>With the chores done the day before, Linda allowed them to relax out in the sun while she tended her garden.<p>

Connor taught Eric a new game that he hadn't heard of before, called Tag. They chased each other back and forth and again when it was Eric's turn to be IT, he swept Connor up in his arms and tickled him. Connor's giggles were infectious and Eric found himself laughing along with him as they dropped to the ground, breathless.

Eric was enjoying himself playing with Connor and not wanting to stop, he challenged Connor to a tree climbing race on one of the more studier trees in the yard. But with his heavier weight, Eric was obligated to stick with the thicker branches while Connor could go almost anywhere he liked. He called up to the boy when he decided he couldn't go any further.

"You win!" He shouted and sat on a branch to catch his breath, waiting for Connor to join him.

"I knew I would beat you!" He said as he sat down next to Eric. "You're too big to go very high."

"That I am, but one day you'll get too big too and instead of climbing trees you'll be climbing walls." He smirked, then added, "Don't tell your mom I said that."

Connor frowned slightly. "My mom doesn't like Dauntless, does she?"

Eric put his arm around Connor's shoulders and sighed. "No, she doesn't. But in her defense, Dauntless hasn't been very good to her."

"But you're from Dauntless and she loved you, right? That's why you had me."

"Well…" He was torn between telling him the truth and lying to him. "You don't have to be in love to have a baby. And to be honest, she didn't really like me. That's why she never told me about you, but I am glad that I am with you now." He said.

"Me too… You want to know what mom told me every time I asked her about you?" He asked. Eric nodded, curious as to what his son had thought of his absence.

"She always said it was forbidden love and you weren't allowed to see me because you're from a different faction." He said, his tone revealing his displeasure at the lie.

Eric squeezed him affectionately. "That's the Amity way. They lie to keep people happy."

"But you just told me the truth." Connor looked up at him, his blue eyes searching his father's face.

"That's because I'm from Dauntless, and telling the truth sometimes is the brave thing to do, because it can be really hard." He explained.

"Should I be braver?" Connor asked him.

"You should do what feels right to you. It doesn't matter where your mom and I belong, or your grandma. What matters is where you feel like you belong and yeah, you're stuck here until your choosing day, but after then, it's your choice and no one else's." He replied.

"Have I ever told you that I was a transfer from Erudite?" He asked when Connor still pouted, but the expression quickly turned into wonder as he shook his head in response.

"Yeah, on my choosing day I left my family in Erudite and I chose Dauntless, because that's where I knew I belonged, not because someone I looked up to was from there. Do you understand?" Eric asked. Connor nodded in reply.

Just the thought of Connor going to Dauntless worried him. Not many transfers came from Amity, and even less made it through initiation. Eric was well prepared for his transition because he studied everything he could about Dauntless before his choosing day.

Would it be wrong for him to help prepare Connor in case he left Amity? He could show him things that Dauntless and Erudite would want from him, giving him a greater chance of success in those factions. Two out of four was pretty good, and what would be the chances he went to Candor? Pretty low by his guess and Abnegation was easy to get through. Yes, if he knew Connor was prepared before transferring he would feel ten times better, and he thought Olivia would too.

"Hey, are those kids at school still bothering you?" He asked with a hidden agenda.

Connor huffed. "Yes. Mom got so mad last time that I didn't want to say anything."

"You said they were from Dauntless, right?" Connor nodded and Eric continued, "Do you want me to show you how to get them to back off?"

"Yes!" He exclaimed.

"Ok, but you have to promise to be Amity and not to tell your mom, or she will get very upset with both of us, me especially."

"I promise!" Connor grinned with enthusiasm.

They climbed out of the tree and told Linda that they were going to be in the backyard. Eric didn't want her to know what they were doing either, in case she objected as well.

Eric positioned him, legs apart for balance and his fists up, one to cover his face and the other to strike.

"The best way to get Dauntless to back off is to show them that you're just as tough and they will respect you for it. We're going to do that by hitting them, so here's what you do."

He spent a good half hour showing Connor the best way to take down his opponent and letting him practice on him. The kid had a mean right hook and if he took them by surprise he could accomplish what he wanted to.

Soon it was lunch and Eric hoisted Connor onto his shoulders and carried him into the house behind Linda.

* * *

><p>Olivia sat down under one of the many apple trees with her two friends and opened the bag of lunch she was passed, by one of the people who delivered food from the cafeteria to the workers.<p>

Inside was a yogurt, an apple and a B.L.T. sandwich. It was common for sandwiches to be a lunch item so Amity could ensure its' members would get a regular dose of the peace serum, and looking at it she tentatively took a bite out of hers.

Her friend Lexi, who had naturally dark skin and tight curly black hair, asked her, "How was your first day alone with Eric?"

Olivia swallowed and replied, "It was ok, I guess. He helped me do chores, then after lunch he pissed me off so I ignored him the rest of the day and painted. Went better than I thought it would, actually."

Her friends laughed at the ridiculousness of that statement. "What were you expecting that would be worse than anger in Amity?" Tanya asked. Her blonde hair braided down the back to keep it out of her blue eyes.

Olivia pursed her lips in thought. "I don't know… But I am trying to be more civil to him so Connor doesn't notice the tension between us, and we had a somewhat nice conversation before it went bad." She explained.

"What did he say to make you angry?" Tanya asked.

Olivia rolled her eyes at the memory. "He implied we could be friends if I wasn't such a bitch. Like that will ever happen."

"I'm surprised you even allowed him to stay with you! If I was in your situation, I wouldn't be able to see him every day, that's for sure." Lexi said.

"Yeah, but he's so gorgeous! I kinda wish I could see him every day." Tanya said with a dreamy look. "Does he walk around the house naked?" She asked Olivia.

Lexi punched Tanya playfully on the arm and Olivia blushed. "He did once, kind of. He had a towel on."

"Boo!" Tanya pouted. "A man that good looking should show it off!"

"You're more than welcome to come over and stare at him if you want." She offered her friend. Tanya went silent.

"See, you're too scared to go anywhere near him. And imagine if it was you he assaulted. Would you still want to see him naked all the time then?" Lexi asked, her hands moving about as she talked.

"I'm sorry." Tanya sighed. "You must find him completely repulsive."

"No… He's not repulsive and I can definitely agree that he is good looking, but I'm not comfortable with him too close and definitely not touching me. The first time he did, I freaked out and ran away. The last couple of times I involuntarily cringed, but it was bearable, probably because those other times were less contact than the first."

She paused and wondered if it was a bad idea to mention her dream to them and decided to go for it. They were her friends, and would support her, especially since Lexi was a part-time counsellor.

"And that's what makes my dream from last night very weird." She continued. Her friends leaned in, knowing from her tone that she was about to give out juicy details. "I had this sensual dream about Eric kissing me… And I like it. I have no idea why I dreamt that." She shrugged.

Lexi chewed her lip thoughtfully and Tanya hid her grin poorly behind her sandwich. Inwardly she rolled her eyes at Tanya and her constant sexual mind.

"He was your first, right?" Lexi asked.

"First what? You mean sex?" She asked, and Lexi nodded. "Yes, he was and there hasn't been anyone since either."

"Well, maybe because he's the only experience you've had, and I know it wasn't a good one and that's my point. Maybe now you want to have a good experience and your mind used his image because he's the only one you could visualize. You know what I mean?" She tried to explain.

Olivia thought on it. Her theory made sense and it made her feel better to think of it that way compared to wondering if she now actually had feelings for him.

A grin spread to her lips and she hugged her friend. "Thanks! I knew I could count on you guys to make me feel better!"

"So, this good experience you're looking for… Are you going out with Jacob again?" Tanya asked, teasing.

"Yes… I don't know when yet, but he did ask to see me again. And I'm not sure yet that I want have that experience with him." She replied, stirring her spoon in her yogurt to mix up the fruit.

"You did say that you plan to marry him one day, right? That usually means you have sex with the guy." Tanya said, her usually smooth forehead wrinkling with puckered brows.

"I know that. I just haven't pictured him that way. Maybe when I get to know him more, it will come." Olivia said, hoping deeply it was true, because so far the only man she's thought of sexually was Eric.

"I don't know. If I had to choose between Jacob and Eric to have sex with, pretending that Eric was a good guy, I would totally choose Eric. He's got those BIG muscles." Tanya said, illustrating the size of his arms with her hands.

Supressing a smile at her friend, she said, "Sex isn't the most important thing in a marriage, Tanya. Maybe, I'd rather be with someone I trust."

"I totally agree on the trust, but sex IS important in a marriage. It won't work if you marry someone you aren't attracted to, because then you're just… roommates." Her friend Tanya replied.

"What other choice do I have? I don't trust Eric, so he's out of the question and Jacob's the only man here that is willing to overlook the fact that I have a child with another man, a man very much present now and formidable." Olivia said.

"There's always Edmund Greer." Lexi suggested after silently listening to their conversation.

Olivia and Tanya made a face. "He's too old!" Tanya complained.

"Yes, but a widower without children will gladly marry a younger woman with kids." She defended her perfectly reasonable suggestion.

Olivia frowned. "No thanks. I'll take my chances with Jacob. Anyway, how's Ned, Lexi? I hope he hasn't felt neglected with Connor's absence. Having a dad has taken up a lot of his mind lately."

"Oh, he's fine. John and I explained to him that it was important for Connor and he was okay with that. They see each other at school too, so he's happy. Is Eric bonding with Connor?" She asked.

"Yeah, he was a bit hesitant at first but I think he's really starting to like having Connor around. Connor is just ecstatic. He wants to spend as much time with him as he can. Today they're doing who knows what at home with my mom." She replied.

* * *

><p>The sky out the window was dark when Olivia got home, but Eric was too focused on the board game he was playing with Connor and Linda to notice her arrival.<p>

It was called Risk, a game that they often played in Dauntless. Connor had asked him to show them a game he used to play there so he made a crude version of it out of cardboard, crayons and painted pebbles to replace the little men.

After explaining the game to them, they had played for a short time before Linda was out and now he was against Connor. The boy understood the game and was doing well, compared to his grandmother who had no idea whatsoever, but he lacked the practice that Eric had and was soon going to lose as well.

"What are you guys doing?" Olivia asked and sat down at the kitchen table in her usual seat.

"Eric is showing us a game they played in Dauntless. It's very… Different from ones we play, but Connor is having fun." He heard Linda explain as he made his move.

He took out all of Connor's soldiers in Australia and the boy groaned as he frantically tried to come up with a new plan to get it back.

Eric sat back in his chair while he waited for Connor to make his move and watched as Linda told Olivia the rules. Her rosy lips frowned at the goal of the game, but her eyes were focused on the board.

Fifteen minutes later Eric stole the remaining countries and the game was over. Linda had left the table to make finger food for dinner so they could eat while playing and Connor set the game up again. Olivia took her mother's place when she opted to just watch.

Eric assumed she would be out as quickly as Linda, but the game easily became twice as long as the last and Connor was yawning in his seat.

He quickly lost all his men to Eric and kissed his mother goodnight. He then followed Linda to bed, but not before giving Eric a hug as he left, leaving them alone to finish the game.

Eric turned to his remaining opponent and found her leaning over with her chin in her palm and her brows puckered in concentration. The red in her hair gleamed in the firelight as she decided her next move.

He never would have thought she had a mind for strategy, but here she was keeping him at bay and he couldn't help but feel mild admiration.

She moved her red pebbles towards his black ones in Argentina and failed her attack. He smirked when she smacked her hand against the table top in frustration.

"You're just itching to beat me, aren't you?" He asked her.

Olivia met his gaze. "What if I am?"

"Good, but you're trying too hard." He told her, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What do you mean?" She looked confused.

"A lot of people lose when they let their emotions run them, it clouds their minds. But if you just let it go like I do, then you might be able to win." He said as he attacked her army in Brazil.

She had only one infantry left in the country which was what he had meant. She tried so hard to defeat him with as many men she could and when she lost she had left it undefended. His three men quickly defeated her one and he took over Brazil.

When she went grab her pieces in the Middle East, he placed his hand on top of hers to stop her. She didn't pull away, but he could feel it slightly shake. Her hand was soft and warm under his and he wrapped his fingers around her hand to move it to a different part of the board.

"You're better off attacking me from here." He explained and let her hand slip out from his.

He gave her tips throughout the rest of the game and even though he was still winning, the game went on for a long time. It wasn't until Olivia looked up at the clock that they realized it was eleven.

"We better get to bed." She said and stood, abandoning the game as it was. Eric agreed and they headed for their separate beds.


	11. Chapter 10

Eric sat down at the kitchen table, staring at the Risk board game they had left out the night before and thought. It was very unusual for someone from Amity to enjoy playing a war game, never mind be good at it. Olivia wasn't quite as Amity as she should be and he wondered if it was solely because of him or if there was another factor in there.

The sound of footsteps entering the living room made him look up. Olivia always awoke first so he wasn't surprised to see her go to the coffee machine like every other morning and frown at the dark liquid in the pot.

Confused, she turned in his direction and jumped a little when she met his eyes. "Geez, I didn't see you." She said, her hand touching the middle of her chest in surprise. "Why aren't you asleep?"

"Too much on my mind to sleep." He responded, cupping the mug he held between both hands. He had stayed up most of the night thinking about their game and the last week. There was something about Olivia that he couldn't put his finger on and the mystery had kept him awake trying to figure it out.

"Hmm. Well I hope you can stay awake at work. With a day missed, Paul is going to be pushing you to seed that field as quickly as possible." She replied, filling her own mug with coffee. She leaned against the counter, blew on the steaming drink softly and took a sip.

"I've had worse." He eyed her over his cup. He watched her as she set the mug down and began making breakfast.

* * *

><p>With Eric off with Paul and Connor to school, Olivia and Linda went to work in the orchard.<p>

It was an overcast day, the clouds dark with rain that threatened to fall and a cool wind blew past them. Olivia pulled her yellow cardigan tighter around herself and looked up at the dark sky. The rain was good for the crops, but there was a lot of work to be done and she hoped it would be a short rainfall.

But the rain was the least of her worries when later on she was passed a letter from the school by one of Joanna's envoys.

"What is it?" Linda had asked as Olivia opened it up to read.

Scanning it over, Olivia's mouth pursed in anger and she marched out of the orchard without a word, ignoring her mother's calls.

* * *

><p>"What the hell is this?!" Eric heard Olivia before he saw her, storming up to him with a paper waving in her hand.<p>

"What the hell is what?" He asked confused as to what her problem was now.

"I just got a letter from Connor's principle, saying that he's in trouble for fighting with a Dauntless boy!" She cried her anger clearly visible.

"Oh."

"Is that all you have to say?" Olivia glared at him. "Please tell me that you didn't teach him to fight."

"If that makes you feel better, then no, I didn't." He lied.

Olivia took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Look, I'm trying to be nicer to you, but you are making it really hard when you pull shit like this."

"I did him a favor. That kid was going to beat Connor up day after day if he didn't stand up to him." Eric said getting angry as well.

"We're from Amity, we don't fight!" She shouted.

Eric straightened up and clenched his jaw, trying to keep his anger in check. "You are, but Connor might not."

"Stop trying to push him towards Dauntless, Eric!"

"I'm not pushing him anywhere, but if he's going to transfer there after his choosing day then it's better for him to be prepared." He replied, his fist gripping the bag of seeds he carried.

"Just because you're from Dauntless doesn't mean he belongs there too." She hissed back at him.

Eric's pent up anger was getting the better of him. "It doesn't matter that I'm from Dauntless!" He shouted at her. "Or that you're from Amity. He could have both parents from Amity and still belong somewhere else, whether it's Dauntless or Candor. You can't force him to stay somewhere he doesn't belong." He calmed down.

Olivia looked away and shrugged. "It happens all the time."

Sure it did, kids chose to stay home despite their test results for all kinds of reasons_._ With that in mind Eric froze, an idea hitting him. "You got Dauntless on your aptitude test didn't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." She said, turning away from him. Eric grabbed her arm and made her face him.

"Don't lie to me. I've been seeing the signs and I've finally figured it out. No one who is truly Amity would like playing Risk, or tell me off as much as you have and…" He trailed off in thought. "You took the train that night. No one has the guts to take the train except Dauntless…" Eric groaned, "I should have known then… Why didn't you fight back?"

Olivia pulled her arm from his grasp. "You're kidding me right? There were three of you and I didn't have the training you did, so I hoped you would take pity on an Amity girl and leave me alone. Obviously it didn't work out as planned."

Eric rubbed his temple with his free hand. "Do you realize that if you had transferred to Dauntless then we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place?" He asked, annoyed.

"Do you think I don't know that?! My son belongs in a faction that he should have been born in and I hate myself for it!" She cried, raising her arms in frustration.

Sympathy tugged at him. "Why did you stay in Amity?"

She sighed and hugged herself as the cool wind picked up. "My father was dying. I couldn't just leave my mom alone."

Eric crossed his arms over his expansive chest and said to himself, "You chose blood over faction."

"Yes." She replied in a whisper.

They stared at each other for a minute as little drops began to fall onto their heads, slowly at first and then quickly soaking them through, but neither seemed to mind.

"Please don't tell my mom." She pleaded at last, little streams running down her cheeks.

"I won't." He promised. There was nothing either of them could do about it now anyway. She had chosen Amity and therefore had to live like them, which she had with success until he came around.

Not wanting her to get into trouble with all their arguing, he decided to try to get along even if she didn't. Then at least it wouldn't be his fault if she got kicked out.

"Truce?" He said, offering her his hand. He watched her eye it anxiously and he frowned. "We can't be friends if you can't stand to be near me."

Olivia looked up at him in mild surprise. "You noticed?"

He lifted an eyebrow at her. "Of course I did, and I don't blame you. The last time I really touched you, I hurt you, but I promise it won't happen again."

"How do you know it's not just because I don't like you?" She asked, three feet away from him and her arms still wrapped around herself.

The corner of Eric's mouth lifted at her attempt to look nonchalant, and even though her body language told him what he had said was true, he said, "Fine. If that's all it is, then you'll have no problem holding my hand all the way to the barn."

She glanced at his outreached hand again. He had to credit her stubbornness, because she quickly placed hers in his and squeezed, like she was taking off a bandage quickly to lessen the pain.

Her fingers were cool against his warm ones and they set off together towards the building at the edge of the field where Paul was watching them from behind a window.

As soon as they were under the protection of the roof Olivia let go and leaned against the tractor that sat inside. Eric relaxed in the spot next to her, close enough that her shoulder rubbed against his upper arm, and crossed his ankles.

Clearly not wanting to be so close, she would shuffle over to create space between them, but he would quickly follow, and after the third time she glowered at him and gave up, finally resting against the vehicle behind them, and they watched the rain in companionable silence.

* * *

><p>An hour passed and the rain showed no signs of giving up. Olivia had tried to concentrate on the conversation she would have with Connor once he got home to take her mind off the man standing too close, but as the air grew colder, Eric's warmth was welcoming and she leaned into him as casually as she could.<p>

"Maybe we should give up and go home." Eric suggested, looking down at her. Her teeth's chattering was the only response she managed to give him.

"Here." Paul said and draped a blanket around her shoulders. Olivia clung to the folds, thankful for the excuse to back away from Eric and noticed the tinge of blue on his lips.

Alarmed, she said, "We better get home, before we both freeze to death." and wrapped half of the blanket around Eric. She waved good-bye to Paul and they went back out into the pouring rain.

The walk home was slow, because they were pressed together tightly for each other's heat and when they finally reached the house, their clothes dripping in the doorway, both Linda and Connor were already home.

Linda rushed over and pushed them towards the bathroom. "We better get you taken care of. Connor, grab a couple of blankets please."

Connor ran out of the room and they shivered their way to the small bathroom where Linda instructed them to undress.

"To… gether?!" Olivia managed to say indignantly.

Linda stopped and placed both hands on either hip and stared her down. "Do you want hypothermia?" Olivia shook her head no. "Then stop whining and do what I tell you." She took the blankets Connor had passed her and blocked the space between them with one.

Feeling awkward, Olivia began to take her clothes off in a hurry. She then grabbed the spare blanket that sat on the side of the tub and wrapped it around herself, allowing Linda to devote the other to Eric when he was done.

"Off to bed the both of you now." Linda declared and ushered them to Olivia's room and pulled back the purple polka dot print cover.

Eric quickly jumped in, wrapped like a mummy in the first blanket and waited for Olivia to stop hesitating and get in too.

"Is this necessary?" She asked her mother.

"You both need body heat to warm yourselves up slowly and snuggling up in bed is a great way to do that."

Rolling her eyes, she got in and Linda tucked them both in with the second blanket. Ten minutes after she left to give them some privacy, Olivia scooted closer to Eric.

"Nice of you to join me." He said, sleepily. "What happened to not liking me?"

"Shut up. I'm too cold to care about that right now." She said through her chattering.

"Hmm… Well now that I have you alone and nowhere to go, I wanted to ask you something."

"What?"

"Why are you so against Connor going to Dauntless if you should be in Dauntless too? Are you that scared that if he goes he will turn into me and make the same mistakes?"

Olivia remained silent for a minute, looking up at the ceiling before answering. "I'm terrified of being alone. If Connor goes to Dauntless and my mother dies then that's what will happen. It's another reason why I chose to stay in Amity. I couldn't handle the thought of going somewhere completely new all by myself... Plus becoming like you is also a major reason."

She could feel Eric's gaze on her face, but she refused to look at him.

"Is that why you seem so hell bent on going out with that Jacob guy?" He asked, ignoring her last statement.

"I don't want to talk about it, ok?" She said firmly.

"Fine, but I still think you're making a mistake." He mumbled, his eyes half closed.

"Go to sleep, Eric." She said and soon his rhythmic breathing rocked her into oblivion.


End file.
